Persistence pays

Faa is a woman of short stature but mighty faith. When you meet her, even casually, you cannot help but feel elevated — her joy in Christ is contagious. But she can also be a pesky little woman. When she sets her sights on something, she moves as an unstoppable force.

I watched her in action when she made multiple attempts at rescuing a little girl high in the northern mountains of Thailand. The beautiful and innocent little girl was a virtual slave of a violent stepfather. He would hear none of Faa’s pleading to bring the little girl into a safe place where she could have a future. In fact, several times, the stepfather, in a crazed drunken state, chased Faa away and made her run down the dirt path lined with empty bottles of alcohol.

But none of that stopped Faa. First, she got the mother on her side, and then she enlisted the help of an uncle. And she prayed like a nut! After eight months the stepfather finally agreed and the girl was brought to the G.R.O.W. home.

She arrived bearing the marks of abuse on her back and arms. Cigarette burnings, electric wire wounds, you name it. But the love of Faa and her staff, little by little, helped get the girl whole again and helped her to believe in a future she never thought possible. And that’s how Faa and G.R.O.W. roll. Never easy but with the resolve of steel and the faith of a giant, the work of rescuing children must go on.